South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county, located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. The county was created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972Arnold-Baker, C., Local Government Act 1972, (1973) and in 2001 covered an area of 1,552.05 km².Vision of Britain - South Yorkshire area Divisions and environs South Yorkshire is divided into four local government districts; they are the City of Sheffield, the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham.Vision of Britain - Components of South Yorkshire The county borders Derbyshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. History The main settlements of South Yorkshire grew up around the industries of mining and steel manufacturing. The main mining industry was coal which was concentrated to the north and east of the county. There were also iron deposits which were mined in the area. The rivers running off the Pennines to the west of the county supported the steel industry that is concentrated in the city of Sheffield. The proximity of the iron and coal also made this an ideal place for steel manufacture. Although Christian nonconformism was never as strong in South Yorkshire as in the mill towns of West Yorkshire, there are still many Methodist and Baptist churches in the area. Also, South Yorkshire has a relatively high number of followers of spiritualism. It is the only county that counts as a full region in the Spiritualists' National Union.http://www.snu.org.uk/churches.htm South Yorkshire was created as a metropolitan county in 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972, from the southern part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and the former county boroughs of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. It initially had a two tier structure of local government with a strategic-level county council and four districts providing most services.Redcliffe-Maud & Wood, B., '' English Local Government Reformed'', (1974) In 1974, as part of the South Yorkshire Structure Plan of the environment, conservation and land use, South Yorkshire County Council commissioned a public attitudes survey covering job opportunities, educational facilities, leisure opportunities, health and medical services, shopping centres and transport in the county.Courtenay, G. and Field, J., South Yorkshire structure plan: public attitude survey, (1975) In 1986, throughout England the metropolitan county councils were abolished. The functions of the county council were devolved to the boroughs; joint-boards covering fire, police and public transport; and to other special joint arrangements.Kingdom, J., Local Government and Politics in Britain, (1991) The joint boards continue to function and include the South Yorkshire Police Authority and the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport ExecutiveSouth Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive Although the county council was abolished, South Yorkshire remains a metropolitan and ceremonial county with a Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire and a High Sheriff. Economy As one of the least prosperous areas in Western Europe, South Yorkshire has been targeted for funding from the European Regional Development Fund. This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of South Yorkshire at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling. Towns and villages Main settlements The principal settlements of South Yorkshire are: * Sheffield, an industrial city whose economy is historically based on steel production and cutlery manufacturing. Today it is known for its sports facilities, culture and tourist industry. * Doncaster, an old Roman town known for railways and horse racing; * Rotherham, an industrial town bordering Sheffield on the River Don; * Barnsley, a market town on the River Dearne, the former administrative centre of the metropolitan county. Urban areas South Yorkshire is made up of three main urban areas. Dearne Valley is made up of Barnsley and a number of villages and towns. The Sheffield urban area is made up of Sheffield and Rotherham while the Doncaster urban area is Doncaster and surrounding areas. Dearne Valley Doncaster Sheffield Other towns and villages Places of interest :See also: Culture of Sheffield *Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet, Sheffield *Barnsley Town Hall *Cannon Hall Museum, Park & Gardens, Barnsley *Chapel of Our Lady of Rotherham Bridge ("Chapel on the Bridge"), Rotherham *Clifton Park Museum, Rotherham *Conisbrough Castle *Cusworth Hall *Doncaster Mansion House *Earth Centre *Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield *Monk Bretton Priory *Sheffield Winter Gardens *Roche Abbey *Rother Valley Country Park *Howden Moors *St Lawrence Church, Adwick le Street *St Thomas the Apostle Church Beautiful Churches in Barnsley *Ulley reservoir & country park *Wentworth Castle & Gardens, Barnsley *Wentworth Woodhouse *Weston Park Museum & Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield *Woodlands model village *Worsborough Mill and Country Park Notes Category:Metropolitan counties * Category:Metropolitan areas of England External link http://www.southyorks.gov.uk/